March 2nd 2002
Mitsubishi Chemicals, Toray Cut Cost Of Nanotubes - Nikkei
Author:
Fuelcellworks
Source:The
Nihon Keizai Shimbun
TOKYO (Nikkei)- In Saturdays edition of The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, it was reported that Toray Industries Inc. and Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. have each developed technology they claim reduces the cost of making a carbon nanotube by some 99% to under Y10,000 per kilogram.
Carbon nanotubes are extremely thin (their diameteris about 10,000 times smaller than a human hair), hollow cylinders made of carbon atoms.
Carbon Nanotubes Could Lengthen Battery Life, improve solar cells, use
as a storage medium for cars powered by hydrogen fuel
cells. Their largest obstacle for use in commercial applications
has always been high production costs, running several hundred thousand
yen per kilogram.
Toray plans include the production of double-layer nanotubes with walls 1-3 nanometers thick. They plan to accomplish this, by blowing gas onto catalytic particles to encourage a reaction.
Mitsubishi Chemical plans include mass producing carbon nanotubers utilizing the same techniques as making carbon fibres using spinning methods.
It was also reported that Mitsubishi Rayon Co. a major producer of carbon fibers may also join in this initiative.
Both firms plan to be mass producing by 2003-2004
Related links.
Carbon
nanotubes
Research of Carbon
Nanotubes
